


Of Magic

by HadesGhostGirl



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Arthus is of magic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:22:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28008399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HadesGhostGirl/pseuds/HadesGhostGirl
Summary: Arthur learns he is, for all intents and purposes, immortal.
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 43





	Of Magic

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a year ago and just found it again, enjoy.

Because Arthur was born of magic, only magic could kill him. Or so Gaius had told him after the truth about his birth had come out. Born of magic. He was born of magic.

Arthur looked down at his hands. "I'm the reason."

"Reason for what?" Merlin asked as he picked up the goblet that Arthur had thrown at him that morning.

"Everything."

"That might be going a bit far," Merlin said, grinning like a fool. "You aren't the reason the crops died in the drought."

Arthur glared at him.

"You didn't kill another unicorn did you?"

"Do you have to be such an idiot Merlin?" Arthur asked, turning his hands over and clenching them into fists on his desk.

"Only sometimes," Merlin replied, grinning again.

"I'm the reason magic was outlawed," Arthur finally clarified, closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair.

"No," Merlin insisted, dragging the word out longer than necessary. "You were barely more than a sack of blood and bone back then."

"Thank you for your incredibly insightful input Merlin," Arthur said, barely resisting the urge to throw something at his servant. "But that doesn't change the fact that my existence is what caused the purge."

"Hmm," Merlin said, lifting a hand to his chin. "I guess your right. Everything your father ever did is entirely your fault and you can do nothing to change that."

Arthur glared at him again.

"Oh wait you can change that," Merlin decided. "You can repeal your father's laws."

Arthur laughed in disbelief. "I'm still the prince, Merlin."

"So you want to?"

"I'd be a bit of a hypocrite is I didn't."

"Yeah, I guess you would."

-

Arthur didn't believe only magic could kill him until a desperate knight during a tournament stabbed him in the chest. He knew he should be dead. But he wasn't. Granted, he was in terrible pain and breathing was very difficult (Gaius assured him his lung would heal) but he was very much alive. Alive when he shouldn't be.

He'd been all but chained to his bed to make sure he recovered properly. Only magic being able to kill him didn't mean he could wander around with one lung and a lightly stabbed heart and be totally fine.

His father was horrified. "My son can use magic!" He yelled at Gaius.

"No sire," Gaius replied calmly. "Prince Arthur is-" and Gaius whispered the rest, despite the fact Arthur knew exactly what was being said. The King believed his son did not know the truth of his birth. Or at least, the King believed his son thought what he had been told about his birth was a lie. Some of it, Arthur knew was a llie.but the rest, Gaius had told him what was true.

"SORCERY!" Uther yelled. Gaius sighed.

"No your majesty," Gaius told him, still remaining calm. "This is a side effect from his birth. One we should be very grateful for."

Uther's expression morphed from anger to curiosity.

"Well my lord," Gaius answered the unmasked question. "To put it one way, Arthur is immortal."

Arthur choked on his own spit, and then coughed and wheeled as his one working lung tried to compensate for the blockage. He knew, of course, but to hear it so plainly was surprising.

"Immortal, Gaius?" Uther asked.

"Only magic can kill him," Gaius stated, turning towards the prince.

Merlin, who was stood near to Arthur holding a glass of water, grinned at Arthur. "The Immortal Prat," he mouthed, lifting the glass to Arthur.

Arthur scowled at him, but took a sip to try and sooth his throat.

"The damage-"

"Will heal itself," Gaius assured. "On anyone else, this injury would be fatal." Arthur winced at the reminder. "But the prince will recover."

Uther nodded and took his leave.

-

Something else is happening here. Arthur thought the only thing that would happen because of hid birth was the whole immortality thing, but it seems he was wrong. Gaius frowned at him. "You think you can what?"

"See magic," the prince told him. "Or at least I think it's magic. I know you have some skill with it and there is a faint flicker around you. The sorcerer my father arrested last night had a glow about him. Merlin and Morgana are both far brighter than I would have expected."

"Sire?"

"Oh I knew of both of them," Arthur stated, matter of factly. He noticed Merlin had gone pale from the moment his name had been mentioned. "Is it not a normal thing to be able to feel magic?"

"Do you think you'd be able to feel so many magic users in Camelot if that were true?" Merlin asked him.

"Oh."

"Yes sire," Gaius told him, gravely. "I believe you can only sense, and see, magic because of the circumstances surrounding your birth."

"I can too Gaius," Merlin said.

"You are an enigma Merlin," Gaius said to his apprentice. "Nothing has changed there. It just seems you are not the only one. Two sides of the same coin indeed."


End file.
